UK rail disruption latest: Commuters hit with travel chaos after power failure
Services affected by the disruption include Avanti West Coast, East Midlands, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales
Koichiko
A power failure is causing major disruption and cancellations of train services across a large swathe of the rail network.
Trains across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the northwest of England have been cancelled or delayed by up to an hour, National Rail said.
The rail network reported the incident shortly after 2pm and expects disruption until the end of the day as it works to fix an electricity supply failure at one of its communications centres.
Companies affected by the disruption include Avanti West Coast, East Midlands, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales.
National Rail is urging passengers to check if their journey is affected on its site.
Train operator Northern Rail had advised customers not to travel and said services were unable to run on multiple lines of route in the northwest of England.
East Midlands Rail said trains on the Liverpool Lime Street, Nottingham, and Norwich routes are unable to run between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street.
Have you been affected by the disruption? Email Harriette.Boucher@independent.co.uk
More follows on this breaking news story. Subscribe here to get the latest updates from The Independent
Will I be refunded if my train is delayed or cancelled?
Passengers may be entitled to compensation if they their train has been delayed on cancelled as a result f the disruption today.
National Rail is advising its customers to keep their train ticket and make a note of their journey in order to make a claim.
“If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel or are unable to complete your journey, your unused ticket can be refunded without any fees by the original retailer.
“If you bought your ticket from a train company, you can find their contact information on our Find a Company page.
“Tickets purchased from self-service vending machines at stations should provide information on how to refund a ticket.”
Passengers who arrive late their destination may be able to claim compensation.
This depends on the train company, as some have different schemes, the type of ticket, and the length of the delay.
If you are delayed by over an hour, you will generally receive more compensation.
“Claims can be made online, or by post using a form that you can download from a train company website or get from a staffed station.”
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 15:53
Manchester Bee Network accepting tickets from affected rail passengers
Due to an ongoing rail fault, train services across Greater Manchester and the North West are currently experiencing disruption.
Rail ticket acceptance is in place across all Metrolink lines and Bee Network bus services in Greater Manchester.
Please allow extra time for your… pic.twitter.com/VAQp4ghCH0
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 15:41
Several train companies affected by power failure
Delays and cancellations are expected to be widespread on Thursday as eight train companies have been impacted by the power failure.
Those affected include Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales.
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 15:39
Mapped: Travel chaos expected across much of England until end of day
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 15:34
Widespread train disruption in Midlands and northwest England
A power failure has caused widespread disruption on railways across Greater Manchester, the Midlands, and the northwest of England.
National Rail has told customers to expect severe delays or cancellations until the end of the day.
“A failure of the electricity supply at a communications centre means trains across the Greater Manchester area, Midlands and North West of England are being disrupted.
“As a result, trains will be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.
“Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 15:31
![The Trust Signals That Get Your Brand Cited By AI Overviews, Just Like Freshpet [Webinar] via @sejournal, @hethr_campbell](https://cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ap-3-846.png)
